DIY sewing machine tune-up

[Slackdaddy]

Talking about basic 60's -70's straight/zigzag stitch machines,, How hard are they to "Tune-up or adjust"??
Short of cleaning and oiling, what is there to adjust?? is it a "dark art" only know by few?

There is only one place local that does sewing machine repair/service,, it is ~90.00 for basic service/tune up,, and not getting good vibes from them.

Any pointers on self servicing these classic machines?

Slack

[Smckinney0031]

Honestly an older machine should be easier than a new one. But 90 bucks?!?!?!?!?! That is insane!!!

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[Smckinney0031]

I dont know what year and brand you have, but there are online diy videos for singer!!!

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[rweb82]

I would be curious to know as well. I inherited my mother's Janome Exel 5018 that had been sitting in storage for years. The machine is in nice shape, except the feed dogs are not working at all. I don't know if it just needs cleaning, or an actual repair.

[Smckinney0031]

For the Janome

https://youtu.be/s8qAWiFJZXs

I would be curious to know as well. I inherited my mother's Janome Exel 5018 that had been sitting in storage for years. The machine is in nice shape, except the feed dogs are not working at all. I don't know if it just needs cleaning, or an actual repair.

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[rweb82]

For the Janome

https://youtu.be/s8qAWiFJZXs

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Thank you! I will have to see if a simple cleaning will fix it.

[Smckinney0031]

It may help!!! And some wd40

Thank you! I will have to see if a simple cleaning will fix it.

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[MiteyF]

Honestly, I'm the kind of person that doesn't let ANYONE work on my things. I'll gladly fix/replace a transmission, build an engine, weld a part, wire/solder, sew etc etc etc. But if I my sewing machine ever gives me any real fits, I'd likely take it to a shop. I consider myself very "mechanically inclined", but looking at the guts of a sewing machine and trying to imagine fixing one makes me sweat.

[MoldyFrog]

The guts are actually pretty simple really. It's old technology. It's just a handful of set screws that control all the critical bits like how far down the needle drops before the shuttle hook catches up or a screw that allows you to tweak the angle that the feed dogs sit at. They generally also have marks stamped or printed onto the metal as reference points. The insides of an industrial machine by and large are the same as a 50 year old singer or a modern brothers machine. So mostly any video you might watch on how to adjust timing on machine XYZ will translate to your machine too.

Mostly they shouldn't need adjusting as the set screws aren't supposed to move. A bad snarl might knock something off and that's probably the only time you would actually need to get inside them. Mostly it's about keeping the bobbin area and tension disks clear of accumulated lint from the thread and using a small amount of the appropriate lightweight oil on the oil points here and there. Too much oil and it will fling the excess onto your fabrics and could stain. If you google an industrial machine manual, say a juki 8100b-7, those often assume the purchaser will assemble the machine. That means those manuals will have small sections regarding setting the feed dogs or adjusting the hook/needle relationship. Home machines come completely assembled so tend to gloss over those settings.

Personally I've swore plenty trying to tweak/fix a setting/problem but even at an hour or two of my time spent being frustrated I'd rather save that $90 for my pocket or a project and learn about my machine while I'm at it.

[Bubba]

All of the old machines I have only required simple dusting/cleaning and lubing. The dusting/cleaning with Q-tips and alcohol and some good lube like Triflow on moving parts. You should be able to find a Youtube video if you have a common machine.